Apparatus for manufacturing glass sheets or plates.



PATPNTPD MAT 16,1905. l

K, HITCHCOCK. l l y APPARATUS P0P MANUFACTURING' GLAss SHEETS vCRPLATES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30u1-902.

" v z sums-'snm' 1.. A

' l i /rnrN'ro-RVA TAAMLLM m.,

H. K.4H1TGHG0GK. I n APPARATUS 0R MANUFACTURING GLASS SHEETS 0R PLATES,

APPLIOATNE .FILED JULY 30.1902. l

' 2 SEEBT-SHEBT 2.

WITNESSES mvEyu-on @www PATBNTBDMAYM, 19o5- @aww V` ihvirnnz STATESPATENT OFFICE.

APPARATUS'OR''lANUFACTURlNG GLASS SHEETS OH PLTES.

SPECIFlCATI-Og fcl'l'nng part of Letters Patent No. 789,911, may 1B,19.05 v Application Eind July' 30, 1902; Serial No. 117,640. i

.To (ill whoml it iptay concern:

Beit known that 1, HALBERT K. H rrcnooox,

` a citizen of the United States, residing at Wal ton, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have'in vented or discoveredcertain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing GlassSheets or Plates, of which improvements the following'is aspecification. l Y A The inventiondescribed herein relates to certainimprovements in themanufacture of sheets or plates of glass, and has forits object the continuous formation of the sheets or plates bysubjecting/the glass while in a plastic condition to-pres'siii'e andtension and the progressiveanneelin of thecontinuousshcets or plates. 1"1 i The invention ishereinafter more fuliy described end` ciaimed.

" sired' rate of iiow. l

be employed for forcing the glnssthrough the.

in the accompanying drawings, forming a pnrtof this specification,Figure 1 is a top plan view of the a'ppa-ratus employed in the practiceof my invention. Fig. 2 is a'seef tional elevation of the same. Fig. 3is a trimsveiee section on n plane indicated by the line HI Hl, Fig. 1;-Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are dote-il views of the draft-bait. v

In the practice of my invention the plastic glass is contained in a.chamber 1,w .ich may besa part of a'melting-furnace or l'may be anindependent chambervin which the glass is charged and maintained by anysuitable means in proper 'condition of plasticity. The pipe2 isconnected to an exhaust or pressure mechanism, so that the glass mny be.forced through a slot3 in the side wall of the furnace at any de- Anysuitable means may slot, such ns fluid-pressure, caused either bymaintaining the glass in thechamber at a higher level than the slot orby maintaining a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure inthe'chamber. .The glass as it flows from the slot enters a chamber 1. inwhich it is hardened and annealed. The support for the sheet or plate ofglass in this chamber consists of e practically continuous liquid bed 5,formed of molten metal, having a. melting-point lower than thetemperature of the glass sheet or plate andof a'specilic gravity greaterthan that of the glass, so that the sheet/orv plate will Hoet on thesurfacev of the molten metal. In order that the liquid bed may not haveany material movement with the sheet or plate, the containing-tank isdivided into n series of compartmente. The partitions 6 between thecompartments extend nearly-to the surface of the liquid bed and havetheir upper'edg'es v 113 duced to nearly knife-edges, as shown in Fig.2'. In addition to preventing any movement of the liquid bed theemployment ofcompart- 3*" *"'slsc V nieuwe May 16,1905."

ments permits of the use in successive compertinents of metal or alloyshaving surf'v plate, or sheet moves along the bed it "'ill be graduallycooled or annealed by cont .et with' cessively-lower melting-points, sothat as the4A nearly in-contact with the `sheet or plate. The

liquid bedl is maintained at the desired temperature by any suitablemeans-such, for exe ample, as that shown, consisting of e case or shell7, formed ofcerborundum and containing granulated-carbon cores, havingernbed'- ded. therein terminals 8, connected to a'suitf able generetor.y

It is preferred that the chamber-1, in which the glass ismsintained in amolten condition, should be separated, as by a curtain-wall, from thechamber "4', in. which the glass is shaped and annealed. By thusinsulating one chamber from the other the desired temperature 'l 'I Ican be maintained in each for the steps vper- `formed therein-ms, forexample, it is at times desirable that the glass in chamber 1 fluid, andat auch times, but for the separation of the chambers, the temperaturein cimm-4 ber 4 wouldbe too greet for the properforf should lie-raisedso as to render the'glass osi-v.

conveniently effected by forming a heating* wfchamher or chambers 10above the arch.

supply, project-into the lower poriion'sof the chamhers, which areprorided with outlet-f' fit'csiegy '5 An :mitiliam chamber 13,-in whichthe annealing of the. sheet. or plate is completed. is arranged in therear of the chamber 4. The liquid bed in theauxiliarychnmber is prefervably formed of mercury. The temperature I0 ofthe auxiliary chambershoulrl'grnduelly drop from the i" ront to the discharge end, und shellregulation can he effected by. any :nitable means by causing "thecirculation of :i

heated fluid through pipesor pass-tages Hin'- 15. the walls of theauxiliary chamber. As Shown in Fig. 2`l thefloor of the chamber 13 isprofvided with ribs or ridges. which will preventany such movement,ofthe. liquid bed :is j would tend to produceuniformityoftemperze atureat the end's of the bed.

lo the manufacture of sheets or plates' it is preferred to employ themethod described and claimed inapplication Serial No. 108,611,A

filed Mayl', 1902. which consists, generally :5 Stated. in 'providing i1mothexhodof ,f "lrss adjacent to time slot Licensing-3 portion of -hemother-brui)- to :Lieuwe the form of :i

Sheet or plate h r tension :rppli'ed thereto and maintaining unapproximately uniformquun- 3o ti'ty of glas in the motlwr-hody bytheregulnt-ezi flow from the chamber 1. The forme: tion of the sheet orplate occurs in or in proximity to thc liquid hed b v which tho glas issiipported until it.-lea\'es the chumher and h v which the temperatureof the sheet. or pluto will be graduallyreduced. ln Orderionpply theformative tension tothe glues :it .the beginning of tho operation, Iprovide n buit l5, haring-u slot-'oi'.recees 1G, into whieh the 4c glassfrom the slot. '3 will How und harden.

The bait is provided with handles 1 7, where h5' it een he placed Ainposition ir. front. of the.

slot and dfn-w1: buch, pollini.r the glass with it. During, itsmovements through the elmo.- bers and 13 the lmit supported so that itsplane of movement will he #truight in order not to efi'cct :t transversebendingor waving of ,the glass :rs it is drawn out. When the metal inchambers hun u speqfiiiegravit5 great-er 5o than that of the huit. noadditional support i5 required, us the huit will limit. at :i uniformheight- :zlong the .mx-face of the metal. At the discharge end of the:annealing-chumhcr l provide u driven continuous heit or hed 18, 5 onwhich the Sheet or pl-ite rests. As there will he pructicullv nofrietionul meist/:mee to the ino-rement of the Sheet. or pluto, theliq.- uid hed forming'un :imifriction-support for the glass. theadhesion of the sheet or ptite 60 to the hell 18will be suliicicnt topermit vof -tie` belt :ippiying the desired formative tension to theglas?, .1S tlerxhed.

'lhr :ueml or :dlo' e|fn`|loyed to form the liquid hed shoulillhe ofsuch character :is to i Burners 11. connected to a Suitable source ofsurface in Contact therewith will not iw injuriousljv uli'ected.v

\\"h1ie l huveshown :and -t| c.rilwl the chumtic-r haring the liquid hedin mmm-lion withV 'a perticular menm` for formii'ig' the fiussinio 70.

She-ets orplatrs. it will he underqooi'l that sut-lr, chamber muy br.usi-d in r .\r=neetion with other means` for shaping the glass orindopendent of :in v Shaping mei-im :is :m :mneuling leer or kiln.

-the sheets or plates as formed, subtantially as set. forth. A

2. ln nn aplmmtus` for manufacturing sheets or plates of glass,thoeomhination,of menus 95-v for causing the glues to assumo the*tiesireldl shape or formQund :i series of liquid support ing-bodies of'different temperatures arranged to receive und support the. sheet orplate as 3. ln :m apparatus for treating sheets or pieles: olgime, thecombination of a chamber having :t liquid glass-snpporting floor or bed:mil means for reguhiting the-temperature of dill'erent portions ofsuchlloor-orbed` substan- :o5 tinliy :is set forth.

4. ln :in apparatus forv treat-ing Sheets or plates of glass, thecombination of u chamber having its loor formed of n serios of pockets,bodies of liquid contained in said pocket` their. riosurfacesformingucontinuoussupporting-suv foce', 1nd menus for heatingsaid bodies of liquid, substantially as set fort-h.

5. ln :m apparatus for manufact-uringsheets or plates of glass, thecombination of :1 glass- 1,15 receptacle haring im outlet` meansforforcin;r the glues through the outlet, means for applying :i formativetension to the fins as itexudes from the outlet, :1nd nliquid hed -forsupporting the sheet or plate of glass when '12o formed, substantially:is set forth.

6. In :in apparatus for-manufactu ringshoetr- -or plates of glans, thecombination of a ghosrecoptacle timing a lot. mez-.ns for forcing thegloss through thctslot., means for apply- .125 inf,r n formative tensionto the glass as itexuden from the `lot and n liquid bed progressii'cl-yreduced in temperature for supporting and annealing the sheet or plate.

hr inert with renpeet to the glass, so that the l 7.' lnanapparatus formnnufacturingsheets 13 lt is characteristic of my improvt-.nwnl-tluit.

or plates of glass. 'the combination ola charnber in which the sheets01- 'plates are. formed and annealed; and menns'for, subjecting theupper and under sides of the sheet (Q a .eor- 3 responding gx;xcll1all\"-re(luced temperature as if. passes through said clim'ber,substantially asset. fort-h. v

" /or plates having in combination a glss-reeep- 159 mele, ag'lriss-shaping chamber insulated as aganstheat from the.gluss-xfreeptuele, a glasssupply connectingr the receptacle, andshaping-chamber, :unl means for umiutaining a' regulatedtemperzit-ux-ein the glfLss-shapng if. chamber, substantially 1s set,forth.

- ,f' S. An apparatus for manufacturing sheets 9. An apparatus formanufacturing? sheefs for plates. ha\jng in combination a gla s-recep-,taele,':e glass-shaping chamber cennected'to the receptacle, a bait4for drawing tbe.- glass vthrough the shaping-chamber., and 'means for;2p'

